‘Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir’ movie review: Informative, but not entertaining

Director Essaki Durai’s Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir is an emotional drama revolving around the life of a war refugee from Sri Lanka who is looking for an identity.

The film has the popular phrase coined by ancient Tamil poet and philosopher Poongundranar as its title. It means, “We have a sense of belonging to every place and everyone is our own.”

The film, Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir, which was in the making for several years, has finally now been released.

Synopsis

The story is about Kirubanadhi alias Punithan (Vijay Sethupathi), who arrives at the church of Father Xavier (the late actor Vivekh) in Kodaikanal along with a musician called Jesse (Thabiya Mathura) from the UK.

Initially, Father Xavier and everybody in his church welcome Punithan, a fine musician, mistaking him to be a part of Jesse’s band.

However, it is only after a while that they get to know that Punithan is not actually from the UK.

What is even more shocking to the priest is that Jesse says she does not even know who Punithan is, let alone he being a part of her band.

It is then that Punithan narrates his story. A Sri Lankan Tamil by birth, Punithan discloses that he was brought up by a church priest after his parents were killed in the ethnic cleansing that happened in Sri Lanka.

Keeping in mind his extraordinary talent in music and the uncertainty caused by the war, the priest attempted to send the boy to the UK for higher studies in music.

However, just as he was about to leave the island, the Sri Lankan army shot the people escorting the boy in cold blood and threw him into a juvenile prison.

Through no fault of his, Punithan spent several years in prison, hoping that the priest would come to bail him out one day.

Little did he know then that the priest had also died in a bombing raid.

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Conflict

After years, when he is finally released, a series of unfortunate developments force him to flee the country.

He joins a group of Sri Lankan Tamils fleeing to Australia by boat. Unfortunately, the boat capsizes and everybody on board except Punithan drowns.

Punithan is rescued by Malayali fishermen, who take him to a music shop owner in Kerala.

Impressed by Punithan’s musical knowledge, the shopkeeper gives him a job at the store and encourages him to participate in an international music competition happening in the UK.

Punithan’s music gets noticed, and he is invited to participate in the competition. But that is where the real problem starts.

To go to the UK, Punithan needs a passport, and he can’t get one if he is a refugee. Moreover, the cops in Tamil Nadu are intent on labelling Punithan as an illegal immigrant and hunting him down.

Why are they looking to label him an illegal immigrant instead of giving him refugee status? Does Punithan get a passport, and does he manage to go to the UK?

Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir gives you answers to these questions and more.

Treatment of refugees

The film showcases the pathetic and inhuman treatment meted out to refugees in Tamil Nadu.

It shows how refugees, who after experiencing great trauma, arrive at the shores of a country that they think will shelter them, only to be ill-treated there.

It highlights several details of how refugees cannot travel to another country as they do not have a passport and how refugees are looked upon with suspicion by the cops everywhere they go.

The film also shines a light on the practical difficulties refugees face. For instance, they are expected to report at the local police station even if they wish to travel to a neighbouring district.

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Pluses and Flaws

While the film does a reasonably good job of creating awareness about the plight of refugees in India and the shabby treatment accorded to them, especially by the police, it fails as an entertainer.

The primary reason the film fails to engage is because of how it is narrated. The story is narrated in a non-linear fashion.

The director does not seem to have taken adequate care to explain to the viewers the time and place of the developments. As a result, the story fails to engage you and make you a part of it.

Had the story been narrated crisply, Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir could have come across as a hard-hitting film.

Issues with casting

The film also has problems concerning casting. Megha Akash, who plays Mettilda, seems completely out of place in the film.

This is especially true for the sequences involving young Megha Akash and the much-older Vijay Sethupathi, which fail to impress.

The film has three quality directors of Tamil cinema acting in it. It has Mohan Raja playing a character called Vincent, Magizh Thirumeni playing an antagonist called Rajan, and Karu Pazhaniappan playing a character called Arumugam. All three do justice to their roles.

Vijay Sethupathi, as always, does a remarkable job when it comes to showcasing the pain of his character.

However, despite his commendable performance, the film fails to impress you.

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Final Verdict

To sum it all up, Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir is informative and shines a light on certain significant issues. But sadly, it does not engage you.